LEAPING off the roof of McDonald Jones Stadium may not excite too many people, but a band of Novocastrians did just that on Friday at the Leaders Leap Newcastle event. Held to raise funds for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, the inaugural challenge involved 25 community leaders abseiling off the roof of the stadium. Participants, including former Jets player Joel Griffiths, TV weather presenter Gavin Morris and Supercars driver Lee Holdsworth, raised more than $73,000 in the lead up to the event. The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service has been operating since 1975 and runs as a free 24-7 service for the Hunter and northern NSW regions. RELATED READING